The Question
by DanteEstonia
Summary: Set five years after Book 54, Cassie is asked for a favor from the Vice-President. This will be expanded as inspiration strikes.
1. A trip to Louisville

Set five years after the ending of Book 54

"Thank you for meeting with us today, Miss Andrews."

"Call me Cassie!", I said.

It had been a long time since Jake, Marco, and Tobias left. I was the last remaining Animorph. In that time I had become a university academic, and a UN Goodwill Ambassador. Today I was in Louisville, Kentucky on a request from the Vice-President, who had asked for my help on a project.

"Well, Cassie, thank you for joining us today. I know it was probably a long trip from California, but your assistance is always appreciated. We will tell you more as we near our destination."

Unlike my time during the Yeerk War, I took an airline from Berkley to Louisville. The Vice-President had picked me up at the airport in a limousine, flanked by a small dispatch of guards.

"So, Mr. Vice-President, where are we headed today?" I asked.

"Fort Knox" he quickly responded.

As the limousine left the airport, I asked "While I thank you for the trip, sir, why am I need for a project at Fort Knox? There have to be many more people out there qualified to help you with gold!"

"We store more than gold at Fort Knox" he responded.

That sent shivers down my spine. I knew there had to be a reason why I had been called here. But before I could ask another question the Vice-President said, "We know from Professor Berenson's notes you were the most pacifistic of the Animorphs. They said that you had saved more lives in that war than anyone else did. They also hinted at a close tie between you two".

"Yes", I said. "Jake and I were very close. We were intimate right before he left on his final mission".

"Jake was a real hero" said the Vice-President. "He aided us significantly in developing training programs for morphing soldiers. We need someone today who experienced what he experienced. You, ma'am, are the only person on Earth who has that."

After a short drive, we arrived at our destination, and the Vice-President went into further details.

"As you know, the Andalites were kind enough to share Zero-Space technology with us and our first Zero-Space spaceship, the _Gaia_, set off to explore our patch of the galaxy. However, the Andalites have always refused to share weapons technology with us. We recovered only five Yeerk Dracon Beams from the war, and we are reverse-engineering them at breakneck speed, but even then, we don't have the means to defend ourselves from any sort of alien attack. Even placing our planet's defense in the hands of the Andalites doesn't give us enough protection from extra-terrestrials."

Our limousine arrived at the massive United States Bullion Depository vault. The Vice-President led me inside.

"What you see here today is secret from all except myself, President Gore, and several others at this facility, some of whom were trained by Jake Berenson himself. The gold, steel, and lead offer us great sensor protection. The most recent security upgrade came in the form of a reverse-engineered Gleet Bio-Filter".

My heart started to pound in my chest. _What are we hiding?_, I thought.

We entered the building and passed through a chamber which looked like the Bio-Filter used at the Yeerk Pool in California. No alarms went off.

"We found this in your home town. We were fortunate that an Army Reservist had found this as opposed to a civilian. So my question to you today, ma'am, is what is this device that resonates with such energy signatures?"

Inside the vault of Fort Knox sat a simple off-white sphere, perhaps three feet in diameter, and supported by three legs. It looked innocuous, like some outdoor statue. But I knew more.

"Mr. Vice-President", I said, "This is the most powerful weapon in all the universe. This is a time machine".


	2. Backwards and Forwards

"Are you aware of how to operate the device, Miss Andrews?"

"Yes, Mr. Vice-President. There is a control panel on the base of the device" I said, lying to buy some time. "It's on one of the legs. I can't remember specifics, but if I can get closer to the device, I should be able to open one of the panels."

"Excellent. Please show us how." The Vice-President patiently awaited my input on how to operate the device. I dreaded to think what anyone could use it for. But I had an idea to delay the inevitable.

I walked over to the Time Matrix. "I think it's on this leg", I said, pointing to one of the legs on the Time Matrix. As far as anyone new, that was the control interface. I approached the Time Matrix and bent over, and placed my left hand on the sphere, appearing to use it as a balance. While reaching towards the leg with my right hand, I concentrated on an image of Rachel's monument out in California. As quickly as I had thought about it, I was transported there.

The monument to Rachel was a beautiful, 25-foot tall statue made out of forged bronze. It was posed to show Rachel smiling, looking up towards the sky. At her right side was a claymore. Although she would have hated all the fuss, she would have enjoyed the depiction.

I began sobbing the moment I laid eyes upon the statue. I didn't have a team I could rely on anymore. I didn't have Jake to devise a plan. I didn't have Ax's technical knowledge. Even though they were all gone, I felt I could channel some of Rachel's courage.

_The greatest weapon ever known has been discovered_, I thought._ I don't know how to hide or destroy it, or even if I can hide or destroy it. If I go back into the past, I could screw up the present. And I have just stolen from the US government out of Fort Knox, with the Vice-President as a witness._ So I planned a way out. _I can't go to the Andalites; they would only use the Time Matrix. But there should be other people who can help me, _I thought, _and maybe they can buy me some time._

And thus, I thought of one person who could help me out at a time like this. I had only met him once, to receive a medal after the war had ended. But he was the only person I could think of who could help me at a time like this. I brought up an image of the interior of 10 Downing Street, and ordered the Time Matrix to take me there.


	3. Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum

10 Downing Street sits in the heart of Old London, which is why it was used as the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The same Prime Minister who was in office five years ago was still in office today. Several members of his Cabinet, including the Deputy Prime Minister, had been infested during the war. If there was anyone who could help me during this trying time, it would be him.

I materialized into the main lobby of 10 Downing Street just as the Prime Minister and another Cabinet member were about to walk in. The old floor of the house creaked as the Time Matrix came to rest upon it.

The Prime Minister and his colleague leaped back once they saw the device. "Don't be alarmed! I mean you no harm!" I exclaimed.

"Cassie Andrews! My, what a surprise! I'm sure security is going to be more surprised though!" the Prime Minister said, recognizing me from years before.

"Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for dealing with this surprise well", I said, trying to collect myself. "But there is a major problem I need you to help me with. The United States has come into possession of a powerful alien weapon, and I need help destroying it."

A look of horror began to appear upon the Prime Minister's face. He then turned and faced his accompanying Minister and said "Well, Miss Andrews, we would be glad to help, but first my Minister of Defense and I have an issue to discuss. Please excuse us." The Prime Minister then put his hand upon his accompanying Minister, and violently spun him around. Both men then walked off.

_Hmm, this can't be good,_ I thought. I looked around the room for a hiding spot where I could morph something small. I caught sight of a house cat walking about. _Better than a fly morph,_ I thought. _It's also the Prime Minster's cat, so he will have his guard down_. I knelt down and called the cat over. The cat came to me, and I rubbed its back, acquiring its DNA in the process.

I looked around for a good place to morph, and I spotted a broom closet and a couch . I carried the cat down the hall and put it in the broom closet, and headed to the bathroom. Due to working with the Hork-Bajir, I had gotten into the habit of keeping a morphing outfit on under my street clothes. I ditched my street clothes in the broom closet with the cat, crawled behind the couch, and began to morph.

Now as a cat, I could pick up every noise in the house. I could hear the Prime Minster argue with his Minister of Defense. "How could I let you talk me into doing such a thing?" The Prime Minister shouted. He was not far from me, and I didn't hear a door slam behind him so I pursued him. His Minster said "This will work out in the end, Sir! We have no reason to believe the Andalites would break their part of the deal!". Oh God, what is going on? I thought. "Are you serious? I believe the events of today are proof the Andalites can't be trusted! And in the process twenty-five thousand British lives were waged! All for "exclusive access to weapons technology"! My blood ran cold.

I reached the Prime Minister's office just as a phone started to ring. The Prime Minster answered. "Hello, Mr. President! You are just the person I wanted to hear from." The President responded in a very harsh tone, almost to the point of screaming "Put Cassie Andrews on the phone!"


End file.
